Thundar 2.0:Thundar 2.0 is a four-wheel, skid-steered vehicle weighing about 500 pounds. It is equipped with two quadrature encoders for odometry; a one-axis high precision optical gyroscope; one ruggedized three-axis MEMS Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU); one Real-Time Kinematic Precise Positioning Service GPS unit; and a laser ranging unit.
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Competition:
Autonomous Snowplow Competition during the winter carnival Rice Park, St. Paul, MN Purpose: To encourage students and individuals to utilize the state of the art in navigation and control technologies to rapidly, accurately and safely clear a path of snow Description: "The teams are challenged to create autonomous snowplows using technologies such as GPS, Laser navigation and optical navigation to create a machine that is able to clear a path of snowfield, in configurations that mimic sidewalks and driveways. This competition is to help drive innovation in the future industry of autonomous robots that will eventually become part of our every day lives. Teams are judged on how much snow is removed, how quickly it is removed and how the machine reacts to different obstacles placed in its path." 2019 teams included: University of Minnesota – Twin Cities North Dakota State University Dunwoody College of Technology Case Western Reserve University University of Michigan – Dearborn Iowa State University Teams compete for significant cash prizes as well as the title of top school. Informational Video from the 2015 Competition: |